Dancing In The Dusk
by Shinimegami 2.0
Summary: When a corpse Cell 7 finds turns out not to be a corpse, she brings a family for Naruto, jealousy for Sasuke, and guilt for the village of Konoha. THIS IS YAOI! This story will be updated weekly as of Sept 26, 2010
1. Chapter 1

**Dancing In The Dusk **

Really Quick Note: THIS IS YAOI! DON'T WORRY, PLEASE, IT'S SLASH! Also, Kyuubi no Kitsune's name will be Konohi, which means 'child of flames'.

Disclaimer- Shinigami's Sister owns neither Naruto, Teen Titans, nor this laptop. What she does own is $2.47, a large Alaskan Malamute with arthritis, two black cats, and the Wicked soundtrack.

Rating: M

Summary: A corpse that Naruto finds in the woods turns out not to be a corpse. When is a corpse not a corpse?

CHAPTER 1: _DEFINE 'DEAD' PLEASE_

"Leave it alone, dumbass. It's dead."

"Shut up, Sasuke. Hey, miss? Can you hear me? You need to wake up."

"Naruto, you idiot! Sasuke is right, it's dead. Now leave it alone, and let's get going. I want to get home in time for the mystery concert that everyone's been talking about."

"Let me get this straight, Sakura. You care more about a concert, than you do about a woman's life?"

"Stupid. That is not a woman, that is a corpse. Unless you happen to have some sort of Lazarus serum handy, there is nothing that can be done for a corpse. Except to let it rot."

"I said, _shut up_, Sasuke. And don't even bother answering now, Sakura, your silence was answer enough. Miss, you need to wake up."

"Stop it, Naruto, just stop it! There's no chakra, at all, it can't hear you! Look at it, Naruto, it was in a massive fight before it died. For all you know, it could have been a spy for another village, and one of the ANBU took it down! Plus, watching you talk to a dead body like it can actually hear you is creepy."

"She's not an it, and she's not dead. If the two of you won't help me, then just go back to Konoha. Miss, if you can hear me, you need to wake up. Please."

Later, the one called Naruto would tell the girl who was not a corpse that he thought it was that single '_please_' that woke her up, and she would agree that it was.

As the case stood presently, a slight tensing went through her body. Her mouth worked for a moment, before a strangled moan rose from her throat.

His eyes raked over her frame, not inappropriately, but taking stock of her injuries, and noticed with much approval what his companions had not; the girl was healing. The numerous shallow lacerations that covered her face, arms, and legs had started to scab over. The deeper wounds were not life-threatening, but would definitely need stitches.

He knew by her outfit that she wasn't a ninja. After all, she was wearing a violet leotard, and a cape with a cowl. That ruled out the spy theory.

Behind him, Naruto could hear the one who was called Sakura murmur, "Looks like he's figured out that it's dead. Let him grieve in peace, Sasuke-kun." His focus never left the girl before him, the girl whose skin was paler than the one who was called Sasuke, but he allowed himself a smug smile.

Her throat worked once more to give rise to a croaking contralto. "Eyes...open...eyes...please," she rasped. It sounded like her voice was sore from screaming. Naruto stroked her face lightly, letting her know that someone was still there. He felt her flinch when he accidentally ran over one of the cuts she had.

"Sorry about that," he soothed, "but you need to know that whatever you fought, whoever you fought, cut you up pretty bad. I'll open your eyes for you, and I'll try to avoid the sore places. Okay?"

The girl who was not a corpse made a noise of assent, and sighed at his gentle touch. His hands were calloused from work, but they were so careful, so tender. Immediately, she knew that she had been found by someone special. Thumbs pressed delicately upon her eyelids, and began to lift.

Things were revealed to her slowly. A shirt that was a shade darker than pumpkin orange clung to broad shoulders and a flat body, one that had been nicely muscled from years of training. Eyes followed the motions of his hands upward to meet her savior...and she was stunned by what she found.

Naturally tanned skin marred only by three whisker scars on either cheek, and blond hair falling over smiling violet eyes that she knew weren't the eyes that he had been born with. They were eyes that she knew from her past to be the eyes of a half-demon. His eyes had probably been blue.

That had been the eye color that Arella had said she was born with. Ocean blue eyes.

"Hey there, Bright Eyes," the savior said kindly. "I won't ask you how you're feeling, because you've taken a lot of damage. What's your name?"

"Raven. My name is Raven Roth. Thank you for finding me..."

"Naruto. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, a ninja of Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in Leaves."

This startled Raven into the realization that she was talking in Japanese. It was always an unconscious thing for her to slip into different languages. She wondered if Naruto could do the same.

"Not to worry you or anything but you're going to need medical attention," she realized he was saying. "Do you think that you can get up?" Raven pondered this question for a moment.

"I think I can stand up, but I'm not so sure about walking, and I know that I can't fly," she declared.

Naruto was stunned. She could fly? Well that sent the 'not a spy' theory out the window. He needed to know where she was from. "You can fly? How did you learn? Where are you from?"

Raven smiled. "I'm from a place called Azarath, in the Zinthos solar system. I guess you could say that I'm an alien in some sense. The way I learned to fly...it's like an exercise in mental ability. I'm telekinetic; I move things, including my body, with my mind.

"Now let me ask you a question, if I may." Naruto acquiesced with a nod, a smile, and a mental sigh of relief.

"How long has it been since you merged with that demon that's inside of you?" she inquired.

Naruto, whose mind had been wandering replied absently, "About six months." He froze when he realized what he had just affirmed.

She knew he had a demon.

She knew that he had merged with said demon, making him a half-demon.

There was only one thing on his mind in this type of situation: _Oh. Shit!_

END CHAPTER 1

Shinigami's Sister/Notes- There are those of you who have read this chapter who will assume that this story will mainly focus on a eveoping relationship between Naruto and Raven.

Kali- You're right, to a certain extent. This _does_ focus on a strong relationship between Raven and Naruto but not in a boyfriend/girlfriend kind of way.

Athena- The Greeks used to say that when people were given souls, those souls would be divided in half, a male half and a female half. People were considered 'soulmates' if they found the corresponding half. Soulmates often felt a strong type of love for one another, most often in a romantic fashion, but sometimes in a platonic way as well.

SS- Naruto and Raven are the family that they've always wanted. Romantic pairings come in the form os SasuNaru, RobRae, and assorted others.

Kali- Onto lighter subjects! Shini-chan has another story.

SS- :grins happily: Not only that, but I should have an update for Broken soon.

Athena- Which leads to the speculation of whether or not you'll post another chapter of Why Not? ever again.

Kali- Dunno. Might just take it down and do a smutty slash oneshot in its place.

SS- Sounds good to me!

Athena- Read and review! (Pleeeaaasee:watery puppy dog eyes:)

All- Bai-bai-buu!


	2. Old Souls

**Dancing In The Dusk**

Disclaimer- Shinigami's Sister owns neither Naruto, Teen Titans, nor this laptop. What she does own is $2.82, a large Alaskan Malamute with arthritis, two black cats, the soundtrack to Wicked, and two tickets to the Homecoming Dance.

Rating: M

Summary: People heal in different ways. Sometimes finding a friend and learning the truth is the best medicine.

CHAPTER 2: _OLD SOULS_

The forest was incredibly silent. Later on, she would tell him that was when she realized that she wanted to be with him forever.

The air between them was thick with tension. Neither of them said anything, neither could say anything. It would be impossible for them to put into words the emotions each felt coursing through their veins. Confusion, fear, giddiness, sorrow, acceptance, all had reached the extreme point. They couldn't speak, wouldn't speak, for fear of rejection and abandonment. The conversation was that of body language, tacit consternation on one part, mollification on the other.

Naruto sat in front of Raven, shoulders hunched and head bowed, looking like he was expecting a reprimand. _You shouldn't know what I am. You'll hate me, like the others._

_No. I could never hate you._ Raven sat up and put a hand under his chin. She smiled at him.

_Why? How did you know what I was? _Naruto lifted his head, the anguish in his eyes revealed. Raven scooted to straddle his lap, and wrapped comforting arms around his strong shoulders.

_You're eyes._

_What?_

_They're violet. Like mine. _

_You're a half-demon?_

_Sadly. My mother was raped by one. He needs a mortal vessel, so that he can destroy Earth. I'm his vessel._

_That sucks. The story that everyone hears is that eighteen years ago, the Kyuubi no Kisune, went on a rampage and tried to destroy Konoha. The hokage at the time, Yondaime, gave his life defeat the kitsune by sealing it inside a newborn babe. Me._

Raven was confused; demons— normal demons, her sire might be the exception— rarely dealt with humans, let alone went out of their way to destroy an entire village.

The tension had dissipated, it was okay for them to talk now. "According to

Kyuubi, a mob of the villagers killed her mate and cubs while they slept," Naruto said softly, somehow knowing what was on her mind. "She did what she did out of grief, and rage. These are her lands. She was, still is the Taiyoukai of the South."

Raven leaned back to look at Naruto's face. "What is her name?" she asked softly. Naruto looked introspective for a moment. When he finally answered, it was not his voice that spoke.

"Konohi," the high, sweet voice replied. It reminded Raven slightly of a figure that she couldn't remember, one with long red hair, and green eyes. "My name is Konohi. And you must be Trigon's whelp."

Raven blanched. "How did you know..." she whispered. Konohi snorted, and Raven could see a superimposition of a woman with red eyes and long black hair above Naruto's form.

"For one thing, you drip with power similar to his. You have the potential to be something great, and you were his downfall. Another thing, it was the Taiyoukai of all the lands who banished him to the bowels of the earth," she stated loftily.

"What do you mean, I _was_ his downfall?" Raven demanded to know. Konohi looked surprised.

"Child, don't you remember?" Raven shook her head emphatically. "You destroyed him, something not even we could do." Raven's eyes grew round, and she grasped Naruto's body to keep from fainting. This couldn't be possible! Had she averted the prophecy? Or...

She had the strangest memory of a masked boy, with spiky hair, a cape, and green tights. Her heart twisted at the sight of him, but she couldn't put a name to him. Then she knew what was wrong, and was no longer distressed. Short term amnesia, it was the only thing that made sense.

Konohi watched Trigon's whelp speculatively. She could smell the emotional turmoil the child was going through, then, abruptly, acceptance. Konohi approved; Naruto hadn't laughed since he turned thirteen. This girl would save him. She would make her kit laugh again.

Raven beamed. "Thank you, Konohi, that had been worrying me for as long as I can remember." Konohi nodded, and the superimposition faded away.

Naruto blinked. "Well, that was informative," he declared with a smirk. Then his stomach growled and his smirk twisted into a wry smile. It became a full-blown smile when Raven's stomach echoed his own. "You're all healed."

Raven looked down at her legs. Her accelerated healing had started without her notice during their silent conversation, and had left no trace of scarring. She looked up into those kind violet eyes, so similar to her own, and cautiously allotted a portion of happiness to escape. Nothing exploded, no tree fell in half, no great geyser of water erupted from the ground. Excitement rushed through her, and she felt a large smile cover her face. Somehow, she had managed to control her demon! "No, Naruto, I'm more than healed. I'm in control of my demon!" she laughed giddily. She wondered if the emotions in Nevermore had become a part of her, no longer separate personalities in her mind, but feelings in her heart. It was a heady thought, and for some reason, she couldn't stop laughing.

Naruto grinned as she shrieked happily when he lifted her from their sitting position into a standing position with her in his arms. He spun around, delighting in her joy, and knew that he had found someone special. He stopped a moment to let her catch her breath, and said, "Let's go get some food. What do you want to eat?" Raven considered this for a moment, her lips quirked into a thoughtful frown. There was a whole lot to consider, like the whole tofu deal. She couldn't stand tofu!

"Can we have tonkatsu?" she asked hopefully. "Oh! Oh! Do you have a grill?" Naruto nodded an affirmative. "Then let's have hamburgers!"

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "What are hamburgers?" Raven looked shocked. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" he whined.

"We're having hamburgers," she said stubbornly, "I don't care what you say, but you need to have a hamburger."

"That doesn't tell me what a hamburger is," he pointed out. Then he realized something. "Before you make these hamburgers of yours, you need to meet the Hokage, so that she knows you aren't a spy from Otogakure come to kill us all."

"Where's Otogakure?"

"Good! Then we need to get you a place to stay."

Raven smiled and said, "I'll just stay with you, if that's okay." Naruto smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Of course you'll stay with me," he exclaimed. "Besides," he added, "my teammates will have a heart attack when they see you. They were sure you were dead, and left me here to grieve when you moaned." Raven's mouth formed an 'o' of recognition.

"Is one of them...Sasuke-kun?" Naruto seemed surprised, so she clarified for him. "When I first woke up, I thought I heard a girl call someone Sasuke-kun." Naruto nodded.

"That was Sakura. You know, for someone who wants to be a healer, she's really unobservant whenever Sasuke says something," he snickered. "He said you were dead, ergo, he was right, and I was wrong in Sakura's mind." Raven shook her head.

"What morons. Come on," she declared with a mischievous smirk, "take me to your leader."

Naruto groaned, much to her amusement. He hoisted her so that her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, her butt nestled comfortably in his hands, and her arms draped across his neck. "Hold on," he ordered, then started to run.

They lapsed into silence once more, but without the tension this time. Raven enjoyed the way the wind brushed the back of her neck, and the blur of colors as Naruto ran. She enjoyed his warmth, his scent of the sun and old forests, his nearness, _him_. She had only known him for...six hours? Had it only been that long? It felt like they had known each other since the beginning of time. She felt warm around him, and being around him felt right. His was an old and dear soul.

Naruto was ecstatic. Here was a person who was like him— Gaara really didn't count. The boy had changed, but he was still an intensely creepy person. But Raven...Raven had _known_ what he was, and wanted nothing. She didn't want to fight him, didn't want to use him, didn't want anything except his friendship. In a village where he was hated, where he had been attacked as a child, where the only person who truly cared for him was Iruka, her friendship was most welcomed.

All to soon, they came to Konoha's wall. Naruto slowed, and looked to see who was on guard duty. Today, it was Shikamaru, which was definitely good for Naruto. Other guards had taken to keeping him out when he was alone, sometimes for days.

"Name, village, purpose," came a bored voice from above them. Raven looked up to see a boy with a ponytail at the crown of his head reading.

"Uzumaki, Konoha, none of you're business!" he called up in retaliation. The boy above them snorted.

"Ch! You're so troublesome, Naruto. Alright, go through."

Naruto grinned, and as the gates to Konoha opened, he whispered into Raven's ear,

"Welcome to Konoha."

END CHAPTER 2

REVIEW RESPONSES

_Dan Inverse- _Thanks for the review, and as first reviewer, you get a Konohi plushy:holds out the doll to Dan:

_the DragonBard_- I'm not sure whether to treat this as constructive criticism or a flame so, okay! Will do.

_kittyblah_- Do you mean will Raven be the only Titan? Because she's not, the others will show up, but not until later.

Shinigami's Sister/Notes- Wow.

Athena- You readers don't realize it, but this story is completely deviating from what was originally written.

Kali- We're talking serious deviations here:looks over the original chapter: Hey! Shikamaru's not supposed to be in here! Neither is Konohi! And Raven wasn't supposed to heal like that.

Raven- What was supposed to happen?

Kali- You were supposed to have a broken foot, and Tsunade and Jiraiya were supposed to be fu— :mouth is covered by SS:

SS- OKAAAAYYY, we're so not giving away anything from the next chapter:grins nervously at Sasuke: What's wrong, Sasuke-san?

Sasuke- She :points at Raven: is hogging Naruto! And she called me a moron!

Raven- :rolls her eyes: Methinks the lady doth protest too much! You insult him on a daily basis for the last seven years, and you're complaining about me?

Athena- :pushes Sasuke and Raven to the background: Guess what everybody? SS is going to her first Californian school dance!

SS- Hopefully it won't be as lame as the Homecoming in Virginia. O.o;

Kali- Anyhow, the important thing is that we're going to put up another chapter really soon, so please...

Athena- Read and review!

All- Bai-bai-buu!


	3. Our Family

**Dancing In The Dusk**

Disclaimer: Shinigami's Sister owns neither Naruto, Teen Titans, nor this laptop. She does own the Wicked soundtrack, two black cats that think they're attack dogs, a television, a working DVD player, and the Inuyasha 2 DVD.

Rating: M

Summary: When it comes to children, there's no such thing as abomination. When it comes to the parents, well, that depends on how they treat the children.

CHAPTER 3:_ OUR FAMILY_

Raven thought that Konoha looked like a pretty decent place, for the most part. People milling about, laughing, gossiping, shopping, acting neighborly in general. Children frolicked merrily under the watchful eyes of their parents. She noted how the young women talked reverently about 'Sasuke'. She had almost decided to like this place, when she noticed The Change.

It was a chain reaction, in a way. One person would notice Naruto, and the woman in his arms, and their face would twist into a malevolent sneer. Someone else would wonder at the expression, and look in the direction of where the first person was sneering. It was the catalyst for the entire village. Mothers whisked their children to the sides, and for a time they all fell silent. Then the whispers began.

"_That monster is back! If I was at the gates, that freak would never have gotten back!"_

"_Look at that! The demon must have brainwashed her!"_

"_Or she wanted it."_

"_Who would ever want to be with that thing...that hideous thing?"_

"_Yondaime died, so it could live? I'd take the Yondaime any day!"_

"_He was a disgusting thing then, and he's even worse now!"_

"_We should kill him."_

"_No, he's got the Godaime protecting him."_

"_Then he should kill himself! Before the monster kills our children!"_

Raven felt tears of rage burn her eyes, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. How could they be so cruel? So callous? Didn't they see what a wonderful person he was? Didn't they see how beautiful he was? How kind, and gentle, and wonderfully caring?

No, she thought, they can't. All they can see is something that tried to destroy their town almost two decades ago. He was an innocent, and they chose to ignore it. And why? Because fear is a powerful and contagious disease, passed through the recollections of the old to contaminate the youth.

"Your village is beautiful," she announced, "but the atmosphere, and lack of a friendly reception leaves me wanting. However, I will give four stars for the wonderful customer service." She smiled teasingly at the enormous blond.

Naruto was surprised out of listening to the villagers by Raven's words. He continued to walk while gazing at her with a bemused grin. He felt wonderful, more than wonderful, in her presence, better than he'd ever felt around even Iruka. There was an aura about her, one that forced him to be the person he once pretended to be. A happy, exuberant, naive person. She was like a drug, one that kept him on a permanent high.

He would keep her safe no matter what happened. He would cherish her, the way he had tried tried to cherish him.

The way he had tried to cherish Sasuke.

The sinking sun cast long shadows upon the streets of Konoha. Naruto carried Raven to the Hokage's Tower, alone in the middle of the road. It was a fairly long walk, made all the more longer by the silent malice that edged their path. The soft 'tap..tap' of Naruto's footsteps resonated, the sound multiplied a thousandfold in the mob mentality of the people. The first stone had been unjustly cast, and in the wrong direction.

The silence was shattered as a group of children, maybe twenty to twenty-five in number, ranging in age from five to fifteen, stampeded down the alley, a cloud of dust forming behind them as they ran. Their eyes gleamed with manic glee as they shouted wildly, "He's back, he's back! The boss is back! Naruto-nii-sama has come home!"

The attack was led by Konohamaru, Naruto's disciple in pranks. The boy was now fifteen, with gangly limbs and a boyish grin. He led the largest (and only) gang in Konoha; a group of misfits and delinquents, orphans and rejects, called the Hino Ko They ran wild through the streets of Konoha, pulling harmless pranks on whoever they could, and were policed by one force: Naruto.

Most of the kids in Hino Ko Konoha hadn't had homes, or had been abused at home, and had chosen to live on the streets. They had gone forgotten by the other citizens, reviled for what they would do to survive. Most chose pick-pocketing, but a few chose to prostitute themselves. That all stopped after Naruto and Konohamaru rounded them up.

Naruto had taken them all to his apartment, small as it was, and had given them a decent meal, a place to sleep. He no longer had a living room, but a giant squishy mattress for a floor, made up of twenty twin beds and sleeping bags. They all slept out there, unless they had a nightmare, in which case Naruto would make hot chocolate for anyone that was up, and take the one who was having trouble to sleep in his room.

Naruto loved these kids; they had become his family, his sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. He protected them fiercely, made sure they were well-fed and appropriately clothed, and got those that wanted to be there into the ninja academy. They adored him for caring about them, respected him, and for that, they wold listen only to him. No other person had cared, therefore the kids considered them irrelevant.

"Stop right there!" Naruto commanded. The kids complied, and watched in wonder as he set down a new woman they hadn't seen in their rush to get to him. He turned back to them, flung out his arms, and cried, "Who wants a hug?"

This invited unintelligible screams as the younger children rushed to the front and jumped, clinging to any body part they could reach and effectively downing the tallest and strongest and bestest man in Konohagakure. Then the others pounced, forming a massive wriggling dog pile of laughter.

Raven watched silently, a fond smile gracing her face and bringing light to her pale features. She had known he was a good person, but the mob of children who rushed to greet him confirmed it. She watched Naruto swim up grinning from the mass of bodies that sheltered him, and wave her over. She walked sedately, highly amused by the suspicious looks that Naruto's children were giving her.

Naruto pushed himself up and smiled at the kids on the ground. "Everybody, I'd like you to meet Raven," he announced, bowing grandly to the violet-eyed woman. She performed an exaggerated curtsy in return, bringing giggles from the girls.

"Ladies, gentlemen," Raven began with an air of mock seriousness, "I am more than glad to make your acquaintance. Although I haven't heard much about you, I'm sure that we will become great friends." Her beatific smile caused two little girls, both with blonde hair and green eyes, to come up to her. They held hands as they walked, smiling giant, gapped-tooth smiles.

"You're pretty!" they chorused. If possible, Raven's smile grew even bigger. She knelt down to their level, and opened her arms. The act caused a major flow of power; the kids jumped from Naruto to Raven, knocking her backwards. She fell, breathless with laughter, under the massive weight of the children. Their voices mingled discordantly in welcome.

"I like you!"

"Are you gonna stay with us?"

"Do you like Naruto-nii-sama?"

"Do you like _us_?"

"Are you Naruto's new girlfriend?"

"Don't be stupid, Sanosuke, Naruto likes boys!"

"Will you be our mommy?"

There was a moment of anxious silence as Raven pushed herself into a standing position. Naruto found himself as anxious as the kids he called his children; however she answered that last question would change their future entirely. Even though he was sure of what her answer was, it never hurt to hear these things out loud.

Raven brushed the dirt off her cloak. With those hopeful faces staring up at her pleadingly, what else could she possibly say? "Of course I will!"

Shrieks and cheers filled the streets, and Naruto snatched up his friend before her new "sons" and "daughters" could attack her. He grinned at her, set her on her feet next to him, and loosed a piercing whistle that the kids recognized as the "shut up or else I'll give you to Iruka-sensei for a month" whistle.

"All right you little demons!" he shouted. "Yusuke, Takao, aaaaand Umi!" Naruto pointed to three of the fifteen-year-olds, a black-haired boy, a boy with dark blue hair, and a girl with light blue hair. "You guys are in charge this week. I want you to take the kids home, get them cleaned up, and pop in a DVD or something. I have to take Raven to see Grandma Tsunade, alright? We'll see you in half an hour. Now what are the rules?"

"No prank phone calls when you're not around, no being mean to each other, and obey the people in charge!" Raven grinned at the kids and waved.

"See you guys in half an hour," she shouted down. The one called Takao smiled and waved back.

"No worries...Ma. We got it all under control!" The group of three presented thumbs-up, then ushered the rest of the Hino Ko Konoha home. The pair of half-demons stayed there, smiling and waving, until the last of the gang vanished from sight. Raven slipped her arm around Naruto's waist and let her head rest on his shoulder.

"They're really good kids," she said quietly, "and I can tell that not a single one of them have a malicious bone in their bodies. I can't wait to get to know all of them." Naruto rubbed her arm.

"Yusuke was a thief," he said, "and not just a pick-pocket, a full on thief. Takao and Umi are brother and sister, fraternal twins, and they were both prostitutes. They didn't trust anyone but each other, and Yusuke, because he started stealing for them. They're best friends.

"I picked them up about a year ago; Takao and Umi thought I wanted them to have a kinky three-way, because they didn't know who I was, but all the street kids knew about some guy who was 'collecting' the kids. Once they got back to my apartment and saw the others— there were about seventeen at that point— they started crying, because they had been 'collected'.

"I love all kids, but the villagers would never let me near their children. But these kids are walking the streets, hungry and resigned to fate, and the villagers never gave a damn about them. And that's when Iruka-sensei told me that they believe in the 'closed-door' policy. You know, what happens to a person who's not in the family, doesn't matter? But I knew what they were going through, so it mattered to me.

"They're all responsible, mostly well-behaved kids. Only a few people know that. Most people think that they'll turn out evil, because I'm the one teaching them." he finished quietly. They had started walking in the beginning of the speech, and they had ended up in front of Hokage Tower. Naruto had been looking straight ahead the entire time, but turned to embrace his friend fully when he felt tears soaking through his sleeve. She wept into his chest, and he rocked her, not caring that people going out were staring, not caring that Shizune-san had stopped in front of them.

"Go on up, Naruto-kun," the woman whispered. He nodded, picked Raven up bridal-style, then left in a cloud of smoke.

"It's not fair!" she cried. "You're such a good person, and those boys and girls are wonderful! It's not right!" Naruto shushed her, told her it was all alright, that everything was fine. And it was. With Raven there, he wouldn't have to worry about the type of influence his girls would have. He set her down, wiped the tears away from her face, and smiled.

"You're right," he said, "it's not fair. But I love the kids, they love me, you love us and we love you. It sounds like something out of that stupid Barney song, but it's true. I promise you, Raven.

"I will always protect you." Raven smiled up at him, and the office door opened. They both turned to look, and Naruto swore under his breath.

Inside was a tall, chesty blonde, and a girl with pink hair and green eyes. Both looked shocked, but neither looked as shocked as the person holding the door. It was a boy, with black hair, black eyes, and skin that was almost as pale as hers.

"Hey there, Grandma, Sakura," Naruto nodded to the women in the background. The bo holding the door coughed lightly.

"Naruto...is this who I think it is?" Naruto smirked.

"Sasuke, this is Raven. I told you she wasn't dead."

END CHAPTER 3

Shinigami's Sister/ Notes- No, I didn't die. School just got in the way of pretty much everything.

Athena- :nods: She's doing good, though. But she needs to remember to do her goddamn homework!

Kali- We still haven't gotten to the part where Tsunade and Jiraiya are— :Raven's hand covers her mouth: MMM! MMMPH!

Konohi- Translation: Oh! Look! We have reviews!

Review Responses

duckyalchemist- Thanks! Here ya go!

Dan Inverse- OO I never thought of that...It's crazy, but until the Teen Titans show up, it might just work!

BleedingxEternally- Thank you! Here it is!

HarrySlytherinson- Here ya go!

SS- See y'all next chapter!

Konohi- Read and review please!

All- Bai-bai-buu!


	4. Photograph

**Dancing In The Dusk**

Rating: M

Summary: Memories are strange things. They can make you stronger, or they can completely break you mentally.

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING DAMMIT! if I destroy the lawyers, I might, BUT I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! I really don't own Photograph, that belongs to Nickelback.

WARNING: This chapter contains rape towards the end. If you can't stomach that, watch for the last flashback, and skip it.

CHAPTER 4: PHOTOGRAPH

One year.

It had been one entire year since that...that..._skank_ had shown up in Konohagakure. One year since they had moved out of that tiny apartment with all those kids, and built a mansion on the outskirts of town, as far away from the villagers as the could get. One entire year since that bitch had started making _his_ best friend smile and laugh.

Although...Sasuke knew it was unfair of him to blame Raven for driving Naruto away from him. He had done a damn good job of that himself. That didn't mean he had to like the situation.

Before that day, he had barely acknowledged Naruto, except as an obstacle to surpass. He'd never even considered Naruto his friend— okay, scratch that. He'd considered the blond his friend, subconsciously, during the massive guilt trip he'd put himself through in the years he had spent with Orochimaru. But then the dumbass had saved him. Deadlast had had the nerve to come in, kill the snake-bastard, and save him.

Sasuke had frozen Naruto out in retaliation, thinking that the blond would eventually come for him, the same way he always had, but he'd been wrong. In fact, Naruto had stopped going out in public altogether, unless he was taking the kids shopping or he had a solo mission. In between the two, there had been no trips to the Academy, no stops at the ramen shop, no garish orange jumpsuits, no obnoxiously loud laughter, no scarred cheeks, no sign that the blond still lived inside the city walls.

Then one year ago, three years after he had come back, Tsunade had assigned him his first team mission. His teammates? Naruto and Sakura, of course!

-_Flashback-_

_Sasuke was in Tsunade's office promptly at nine a.m. He slouched in, not caring why he was called, as long as it was for something good._

"_Grandma...why did you call us here?" Sasuke's head whirled to face the owner of that honey-coated baritone. _

_Tall, broad body, a full head-and-a-half taller than himself. A black tee stretched tightly across tanned skin, disappearing into a well-used pair of jeans. Shockingly blond hair that barely touched the shoulders. Three whisker-scars on each cheek, just under beautiful violet eyes. Violet eyes! Could this.._man-god_...possibly be...Naruto? His Naruto?_

_Sasuke focused on Tsunade, hiding his shock under layer upon layer of ice. When had this happened? When did his annoyingly strong, wonderful, little sparring partner grow up into this? Could it...Naruto wasn't smiling. Why wasn't this Naruto smiling?_

"_He never smiles anymore, not unless he's with his orphans. His children." Tsunade replied quietly. Sasuke flushed, then noticed he was the only one left. He hadn't known he had spoken aloud._

"_You know why he doesn't smile, don't you, Sasuke?" the Hokage inquired. "You know why he doesn't talk anymore, why he doesn't wear those hideous jumpsuits he adored. Right?" He shook his head._

"_We haven't spoken since I came back. Let alone seen each other," he added. He congratulated himself for keeping his voice steady. Tsunade sighed._

"_It's because of you. The day he woke up, after you tried to kill him, he stopped talking. The villagers thought it was him maturing, or something, and considered it a blessing in disguise. But we knew different._

"_You succeeded in your intentions, Sasuke. You killed your best friend."_

_-End Flashback-_

It had hurt him. That constricting feeling in his chest, centering around his heart. It squeezed at him, a crushing pressure on his lungs that wouldn't allow him to breathe. He couldn't understand why he'd felt this way, like someone had told him he was the reincarnation of Adolf Hitler, or, or, hell, someone just as evil! Naruto was alive dammit, he hadn't had the strength to take away the blond's life, to never see the glimmer in those wonderfully blue eyes of his. But he had anyway...he had never known at the time, but he did now.

Oh yeah. That hurt.

The mission had been fairly easy, handing off a scroll from the Hokage to the Kazekage of the Sunagakure. Even now, he didn't understand why Tsunade had brought Cell Seven together for such an easy mission, but he had been glad when it ended. Sakura had hung all over him the entire time, had thoroughly insulted Naruto every time he stepped into the room, and had completely pissed Sasuke off.

Naruto's reaction to the girl in the forest had been the icing on the cake.

"_Stupid. That is not a woman, that is a corpse. Unless you happen to have some sort of Lazarus serum handy, there is nothing that can be done for a corpse. Except to let it rot." _

How had Naruto known? Sasuke had been so certain that the girl was dead, there had been no trace of a chakra signature at all! Even Sakura had agreed...but she hadn't even stopped to check the body. Once again, the medic agreed faithfully with anything that the Uchiha heir said. The medic hadn't checked the body, but Naruto had, and had stood resolute in his belief that she was alive, even as they had walked off. He had stayed, and Sasuke had been to angry to even consider that Naruto, who had changed so drastically since saving Sasuke, had the slimmest chance of being right.

Lo and behold, he had shown up in Tsunade's office, the violet-haired girl that Sasuke had thought dead in tow. She really had been alive, and Naruto had been right, and Sasuke had been wrong. Once upon a time, Sasuke would have thought the world would end, should Naruto ever turn out to be right in one of their arguments. As it was, Sakura had passed out when she saw the girl, after screaming something about demonic ghosts. Actually, passed out is the wrong phrase to use; she had fainted in fear when both Naruto and that girl turned identical Glares of Pain and Suffering on her.

_Raven,_ his mind supplied nastily, _her name is Raven, and Naruto likes her more than you. You were his 'best friend' for how long? And all you ever did was hurt him. She wasn't even here one single day, and she got a promise of eternal protection from him. She had him smiling and laughing, in public, in two months._

_You gave him silence and depression for five years. So, princess, the question now is:_

_Who deserves him more?_

"I don't deserve him," Sasuke growled out loud, "but I still want him. Mark my words, Raven Roth...

"Naruto will be mine."

(SS- I really did consider leaving it off there, but certain contributing factors :cough: my muses and Sasuke trying to kill me:cough: have led me to believe that it wouldn't be very nice if I did that)

Raven and Naruto sneezed simultaneously. The two shrugged, grinned at each other, and went back to making an obscenely huge batch of chocolate chip cookies.

"I guess someone was talking about us," said Naruto. Raven scoffed.

"Maybe someone was talking about you, but I sneezed because my nose itched," the pale half-demon declared, then giggled when her blond friend poked her, having seen right through the bluff. She used her powers to dump a bag of flour over his head in retaliation. Raven cackled with glee at his affronted, dumbfounded expression. It was priceless! She doubled over, holding her sides, while he narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, it's on now!" he exclaimed, grabbing a pair of eggs. Her laughter turned into shrieks as he smashed them onto the crown of her head. It was his turn to laugh now, as he watched the yolks run down her face. He failed to notice the obvious sign of impending danger, the ever popular twitchy eyebrow. He did notice when a ball of batter exploded on his face. The war was on!

And it was still going strong when Takao, Yusuke, and Umi came home half an hour later. They all sighed, and had they been anime characters, gigantic sweatdrops would have engulfed their heads. It never ceased to amaze them that their strong, fearless, wonderful parental figures, could act like the youngest kids whenever they were together. They had finished building this amazing house nine months ago, and had proceeded to 'cozy the place up'— Raven's own words— by having food fights, paint wars, or anything else that would make the family laugh.

_-Flashback-_

"_You guys all managed to fit in here." Raven stated dryly. She was currently bouncing lightly on one of the mattresses that made up the living room floor. "I must say, congratulations on not killing each other."_

_Yusuke muttered, "Yeah, but not for lack of trying." He blushed when Ma— Raven hadn't objected when Takao called her that, so he guessed it would be okay— tilted her head back and loosed a full, throaty laugh._

"_I don't see any reason why we can't build ourselves a place, on the outskirts of the village," she said when her laughter had subsided. "I mean, we have you, Naruto, some of the older kids, and now, me. If you still think it would be too hard, we could recruit some of your friends into lending a hand."_

_Naruto stared at her in awe for a moment, then whooped with delight. "That's an excellent idea!" he exclaimed. "We'll get started on it tomorrow!"_

_-End Flashback-_

It had taken three moths, but the house had been built, and it was gorgeous. It had four floors, with ten bedrooms, five bathrooms, and a game room, on each of the last three floors. The first floor had a giant living room, a kitchen that was every chef's wet dream, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and the master bedroom, with a connecting bathroom that held a steam booth, and a Jacuzzi instead of a regular tub.

And they hadn't needed to go on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to do it.

Takao smiled fondly as he reminisced. Then, abruptly..."GAAHHH! MA, WATCH IT!" A stray cookie dough bomb had exploded on him. Raven pointed at the blond half-demon.

"Hey, don't look at me! That was all Naruto right there!" Naruto tried sputtering out protests, but to no avail. Raven was walking toward the group of three, gazing fixedly at Umi.

"How do you feel," she inquired kindly. Umi smiled, ducking her head down to her growing midsection.

"I...I felt them kick today." she whispered. "Mama, I think they're getting stronger." Umi felt a light touch on her chin, and raised her head. Mama was smiling so nicely, she always smiled nicely, but they had become extra special to Umi...ever since the attack.

(Warning: This contains a rape scene. Do not read if you have a faint hart, coz this will get graphic.)

_-Flashback-_

_Umi whimpered in pain. She had been walking through Konoha at night, picking up some milk for Ma. He had caught her by surprise, had pulled her down into the alley, and pushed her harshly against the wall. The milk had been abandoned at the entrance._

"_Where you been?" he demanded, "I been so lonely, and I ain't been able to find any of those little whores, ain't been able to find you. FOR TWO FUCKING YEARS!" He slammed her against the wall after each word as emphasis. Umi cried out, tears coursing down her face, but resigned to her fate. Nobody would come._

"_My wife ain't been puttin' out lately," he snarled pushing his face close to hers. His breath smelled sour, rancid. "And since were the last good whore this place had, I'll just have to make this night one you'll never forget." Umi felt her eyes widen in horror as she watched him unsheath a seven-inch dagger. He grinned maliciously and pressed the sharp side onto the soft skin beneath her collarbone. At the same time, he pinned her with his lower body, permitting her to feel his rapidly growing erection._

"_This'll only hurt a bit," he whispered sadistically, then slashed down. She screamed, knowing only a burning pain as the knife made its way down, carving up her side and freeing her breast. Then up each of her hips, destroying the remains of her dress, slicing through the seams of her panties. Then down once more, from the middle of her breasts to the top of her navel. The pain was excruciating to her, and the more she bled, the harder he got._

_He fumbled with his pants, then finally dropped them around his ankles. "I'm clean," he whispered hotly as he tore her body with his massive length. "No STDs or nothin', so I don't need a damn condom." He dug his fingers in the bloody gashes he had created, relishing in her agonized screams. He hadn't lasted long, and came with a grunt, just in time to hear someone scream the whore's name. He was thrown off the bitch by an amazing force of power. _

"_What the fuck!" he screamed in rage. Glowing red eyes met his, and he wet himself._

"_**What's your name?"** the voice snarled menacingly. He gulped._

"_H-Hi-Hideki Tojo. Who the fuck are you?" he replied with a bravado that even he didn't believe._

"_**Die, Hideki Tojo."** Something was squeezing his heart and lungs. He couldn't breathe, couldn't scream, couldn't even think. He blacked out, hoping he would be saved. But alas, no one mourns the wicked._

_Umi felt strong, familiar arms surround her, comforting her with the scent of moonlight and lavender. "Mama?" she whispered, her voice cracking. She had come?_

"_Shhhh, Umi, shhhh. I got worried when you weren't back at eight. Don't worry, none of this was your fault. I'm here now. Things will be okay._

"_You're safe and I still love you."_

_-End Flashback-_

They had found out she was pregnant the next day. Everyone, had been there for her, had supported her decision to keep them, but Mama had done most of all. She had taken Umi to Tsunade personally for each check-up, had made a special to settle the morning nausea, had leaped with joy when they found out Umi was having twins.

She had been a real mama, and now, Umi would be a real mama too.

Naruto smiled fondly as Raven bustled about making Umi comfortable. He felt complete knowing Raven was here to stay, yet something was still missing, something Naruto knew he would need soon, if he didn't want to go crazy.

He needed a mate.

He needed Sasuke.

END CHAPTER 4

Shinigami's Sister/Notes- I wrote a rape scene? _I _wrote _rape_ scene:whimpers: I am so going to hell.

Orochimaru- I'll put in a good word for you.

Kali- OO. When the fuck did he get here?

Athena- Don't know. :shrugs: Don't care. Wanna roast him?

Review Responses

kinguofdoragons- :beams widely: Thank you, being different is the only thing that keeps me from shooting up my school! Plus, my folks say I'm to young to handle Tomahawks.

duckyalchemist- Yeah, we made Naruto a total softy. Now we just need to melt Sasuke's impenetrable barrier of ice, just so we can make things steamy.

Sin Piedad- Thank you! Another chapter should be up soon.

cheerful-pinkstar- Thank you!

Athena- Wanna know what happens next? Please review, and you'll find out!

SS- I totally love Chad from Nickelback. If he weren't engaged, I'd kidnap him, drug him, make him love me by erasing his memories of his fiancee.

Kali- You know that's probably illegal, right?

SS- Indeed...

All- Bai-bai-buu!


	5. Mirror Afterimage

Title: **Dancing in the Dusk**

Rating: M

Summary: Regrets are an unfortunate reminder that we are not perfect...

Disclaimer: I don't own a damn thing besides the teddy bear beside me.

CHAPTER 6: MIRROR AFTERIMAGE

He watched her through the window, marveling at her beauty. The way she smiled at those kids, the way her eyes sparkled whenever she cooked something right, the way she breathed softly in her sleep...okay so maybe he was bordering on stalker-ish tendencies, but at least Naruto hadn't caught him looking through their purchases that one time. He remembered that time when Naruto caught Gaara asking her if he could have a pair of her panties...

He wondered now if Temari was still feeding him steaks through a straw.

It was unfortunate that Naruto had grown up so impressively over the years; it made him a more than adequate protector for the violet goddess. At seven-foot-six and two hundred pounds, he was easily the largest ninja in Konohagakure, and though he was still the most hated and feared person in the village, he was the most frequently asked for person in any mission. Strong, smart, silent, and fiercely devoted to anyone he considered a friend, it was no wonder why Raven stayed closed to him.

Neji shook himself out of his musing, and pushed a strand of hair behind his ear. He peered through the window, smirking as Raven walked away and presented him with a wonderful view of her shapely thighs and ass. He imagined those legs wrapped around his waist, his hands kneading those delicious mounds as her head was thrown back in pure ecstasy at his touch.

"She's something special, isn't she?" someone whispered into his ear. Neji found himself agreeing, until he recognized the name that went with the voice. He turned around slowly, and was met by Naruto's dangerously bright eyes.

"A five minute head start, please?" he pleaded. Naruto just shook his head firmly.

"You're not only trespassing on our property," he purred, "but you've invaded Raven's privacy. What I did to Gaara will look like a day in he park when I'm done with you."

Screams of pain echoed through the village for hours.

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Raven smiled as Takao tromped in the kitchen door with Umi in tow, the twins bright-eyed and rosy-cheeked from the recent cold snap. It was the end of November, and it had been about two weeks since they had found out Neji wouldn't be able to walk...or use his arms...or talk...or eat solids...or breathe without a respiration machine...or do anything for another six to eight months.

"Something smells good, Mama," Umi said. "What are you making?" Raven stepped away from the stove to hug them.

"Hot chocolate," she replied, "and some brownies. I was going to watch _The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe_ with the kids, and you can watch with us, since you're here." Takao started to say something, but Raven interrupted. "Kai's already up there, Takao. I promise that it'll be dark enough for you to make out in."

Umi laughed as her brother blushed. Kai was his boyfriend, and another of Naruto's foundlings. Kai had naturally dual-toned grey hair, and russet red eyes. Umi had been scared when they first met, because he seemed so cold, but Takao had grown to love him. She was still laughing when she felt something cold on the back of her neck. She shrieked and whirled on the cackling figure behind her.

"YUSUKE!" she screamed. Yusuke smiled devilishly and hugged her before she could start hitting him. "Ohh, Yusuke, I'm gonna mangle you!" Umi banged her fists fruitlessly against his chest.

"Hey now, chill," he sniggered. "Too much stress is bad for those babies of yours. You don't want to mess up their brains do you?" He planted a kiss on her cheek and released her. Raven and Takao doubled over laughing at the affronted look on Umi's face.

"Mama," she whined, "it's not funny! His hands are freezing." Umi glared petulantly at her brother and mother until they regained their composure. Yusuke stood there, smirking at the cute little pout on his girlfriend's face.

That is, he was, until some cold slush found its way into his briefs. He shrieked, much like one of the younger girls when they saw a creepy-crawly, and made it known to his family that he was quite proficient in interpretive dancing. He jumped around, swearing violence, pain, and torture, to whoever did this.

"Now, now," Naruto said wickedly, "you should know better than to go around picking on pregnant women. They have friends to get revenge for them." He grinned broadly as both Raven and Umi came over to hug him.

"Thanks Naruto-nii-sama!" Umi said cheerfully. The huge blond planted a wet kiss on her forehead; Umi made a face of disgust and pushed away from her paternal figure. As much as she loved him, sometimes Naruto-nii-sama was just too gross!

"Alright you," Raven stabbed a finger directly into Nauto's chest, "get out of those wet clothes, then you can go upstairs and have brownies with the little ones. They're all upstairs watching a DVD, which reminds me, Yusuke, you're grounded."

"WHAT! But Ma, why?" the former street thug whined. Raven arched an eyebrow and held up a DVD case, watching with scornful amusement as he blanched.

"Rika and Mika brought this to me wanting to know what the girls in it were playing," Raven explained. "No TV for two weeks, computer for three, and no missions for two weeks. You have ALL dish duty during that time, should anyone offer to help you, which I'm sure they won't, you will reply, 'No, for I brought this upon myself'. If you do not care for this, well then, be ready to suffer. Am I clear?" Those eyes brooked no refusal, and Yusuke was not stupid enough to try, despite what people thought. He nodded reluctantly trudging upstairs when she told him to go to his room. All eyes followed, not quite understanding what was happening.

"Umi, Takao, why don't you go find Kai? Mama and I need to talk." It wasn't a question, it was an order, one that they were only too happy to comply with. As soon as they were safely out of sight and hearing range, Raven showed Naruto the DVD she had been hiding. He felt his brow scrunch in confusion.

"Girls Gone Wild? I thought—" Raven held a hand up to silence him.

"I don't mind porn. I understand that they are hormonal teenage boys. What I _do_ mind is when they leave it out around the young ones. I don't want them to learn this type of stuff, not at that age."

She smiled softly and held her hand out to him. It was such a small gesture, simple gesture, but, to the both of them, it meant everything in the world. Naruto took her hand and pulled her into the warmth of his arms. They stood like that for a moment, as they did every single day, enjoying the companionship of their love.

"Come on," Naruto said, "let's go be with our family."

And if that wasn't the best thought in the world, neither of them wanted to know what was.

linelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelineline

"Friend Robin, we have not had any word from friend Raven in the span of an Earth year." A teenage girl with bright green eyes and long red hair spoke to a masked young man with spiky hair and a cape. "You will do her no favors by starving yourself of light and friendship. She would not want it."

Robin sighed, rubbing at his face morosely. "It's my fault that she's missing, Starfire. I need to find her. I never even got to tell her how I felt."

An entire godforsaken year had passed since the incident had passed. Since _Slade_ had done...whatever the hell he had done to make Raven disappear. Just...gone. Left no trace behind, no piece of fabric, not even a hint that she was still alive.

She had disappeared three days before his nineteenth birthday.

Three days before he was going to tell her that he loved her.

It was damned frustrating, not knowing whether she was somewhere in the good ole US of A, or on this planet, or in a different dimension, or if she was even ali— no. He wouldn't give up hope on her. She never gave up on him, despite every stupid and potentially dangerous plan he'd ever had. He could do that much for her.

He owed her that much, at the least.

Robin was jolted out of his brooding session when a cybernetic hand clapped down on his shoulder. "Hey man, I got something you might wanna check out," Cyborg said with barely repressed excitement. When his spiky-haired leader made to dismiss him he added, "I just might have found her, man. I might have found Raven." Robin's eyes went round behind his mask, and Starfire gasped.

"That is most glorious news!" Star cried. "I shall prepare the pudding of happiness, so that it may ferment until her return." That said, the alien princess floated off, oblivious to the disgusted winces of the men behind her. Shaking his head, Cyborg turned to address Robin.

"Do you remember the time when I was transported to the past?" Robin nodded cautiously during the pause. "Well, for a moment I thought that might have happened with Slade, you know, he takes her back in time so that the whole raising Trigon deal actually worked, only that can't have happened, because we're still here. So I checked through every history book and database in existence, came up short on all references and photos. It's as if she doesn't exist.

"Then I remembered something that Raven had mentioned. She said that as far as she knew, there were multiple Earths, all existing side by side, and that sometimes they overlapped. I figured, 'What if that's what happened?' and realized that it's like when mikes of the same frequency touch, they harmonize, and you get that buzzing sound. So I started scoping Earth out with some low and high frequency sound waves set to locate Raven's signal, and I found it!"

Robin's head was spinning by the end of the explanation, but the one important fact managed to break through: _they had found Raven_. They had searched for a year, and things had finally started looking up. They would bring her home, and everything would be fine, because they were Titans; they'd gotten through the Brotherhood together, and they'd make it through this to.

In a brief moment of panic, Robin let that niggling worm of doubt slip into his mind. What if Raven was happy, wherever she was, without them? What if she didn't even remember them? Worse yet,_ what if this was all a fluke_? What if she was truly dead, with nothing they could do?

No, it wasn't possible. Raven had been the strongest of all the Titans, was still the strongest Titan. She'd faced so much, had tried harder than all of them to keep the world safe from bad guys. She had to be alive, just had to be. "How do we get her back here?" Robin asked grimly. Cyborg shook his head.

"Doesn't work like that. If we tried to pull her out, we might end up pulling out someone in her vicinity instead. That would mess things up for everybody, especially if we have no clue as to what the social and political environment is over there. Nah, man, we're gonna have to go to her." He stood by patiently, allowing his team leader some time to mull this new information over.

"All right then. Star, Beast Boy, and Aqualad will stay here and hold down the fort. You and I will leave first thing tomorrow morning."

_I'm coming to bring you home._

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Raven woke instantly, aware of everything around her. The twins, Mika and Rika, were asleep next to her in Naruto's lap. Umi was giggling softly with Takao and Kai in the room across the hall. Her little ones were all either asleep in bed, or asleep on the floor around Raven. Even Naruto was snoring gently. Nobody was hurt or in danger. Everything was alright in their little home.

Except for the fact that a pair of burning red eyes were staring at her hatefully.

Raven knew who it was; how could she not? It was the same person that Naruto had called out to each night in his sleep. She had only met the Uchiha child once, back when Naruto had first brought her to meet the Godaime, and had not seen him since, though she had wanted to. She desperately wanted to tell the arrogant bastard exactly what she thought of him.

With a quick jerk of her head, Raven stood and motioned for Sasuke to follow her downstairs. The silence on the way down was saturated with unspoken ill-will towards each other. Each knew their respective reasons for disliking the other person, but couldn't understand what they had done to earn the animosity that they both radiated. Raven sat Sasuke down and put water for tea on to boil.

"You broke his heart," she finally said. Sasuke stilled, the animosity draining off as he stared at the pale foreigner. "All he ever wanted from you was acceptance, friendship more than anything. He'd initially seen a kindred soul in you, as someone else who'd lost their family, then a teammate and a friend. You never saw any of that in him, did you? After all, you were willing to kill him to gain power. Who does that to a friend?"

"Why do you care?" Sasuke shot back rudely. He kept his eyes averted so that the woman wouldn't see his guilt and pain. It wasn't true, it wasn't! He'd wanted to protect Naruto, but the feelings he'd held were confusing as a preteen. And this woman would dare to try making him feel guilty for being confused?

"Because I'm the one offering him a shoulder to cry on after a nightmare." Her voice didn't rise in the slightest, but the anger intensified the meaning. "I'm the one person around him who understands what it means to need to prove that he's not evil. I'm the one person who knows that words do hurt, no matter what anybody says. I know what it's like to grow up hated for something that isn't your fault.

"You, Sasuke? You are the cause of some of his nightmares, his dream terrors. You've never had to prove anything to anybody; you were always accepted into everything you wanted. You were one of the ones who taunted him with cruel words, grated at his self-esteem. You were always loved, though you didn't want it. Naruto grew up hated by two generations: those who survived the Kyuubi attack, and by the children that they spawned. You may have survived the Uchiha massacre, but Naruto has survived in this poisonous village. You are nothing."

Sasuke couldn't stand it any longer. "Don't you think I know all this?" He was pretty sure that his voice had just cracked, and that his eyes were becoming glassy but he didn't care. "Don't you think I tell myself daily that it's all my fault? That I'm the reason why he stopped talking and laughing and smiling? I know that I don't deserve him, but I can't live without him! It's too much, knowing that he's here, with you and that I have no place in his life! I love him and it hurts!" Raven was suddenly rubbing his back, soothing him and crooning nonsense words of comfort, and Sasuke knew that he was crying.

But that wasn't possible. Raven was directly in front of him holding a mug of tea, smiling with placid satisfaction. Her voice also wasn't as low as the one in his ear, and not nearly as masculine. Sasuke twisted around, his lips trembling and eyes wide. Onyx met amethyst for one brief moment, and then the slighter man launched himself into Naruto's arms. The half-demon rocked him, nuzzling his face into the black hair.

"Come live here," Naruto ordered gently. "We've all been alone in some way long enough, you especially. You need to be here, with me, in my bed." Even if he had wanted to argue, which he really didn't, Sasuke wouldn't have been able to refuse after that.

And as Raven walked through Naruto's section of the master bedroom on the way to her half, she cast a silencing charm so that no sound would be able to escape at all, thinking the entire time that there wasn't a soul in the world more deserving of it than her best friend.

Shinigami's Sister/Notes- Blame my muses. They didn't want me to get around a gigantic monolith that was blocking my path. :blinks shiftily and runs away:

Kali- But now that we have finally done something, we're going to try something a bit strange.

Athena- See, our new obsession is Ouran Host Club, and Shini is working on a huge story for that to proclaim the beauty of MorixHaruhi and KyoyaxTamaki!

SS- So I, and I'm sorry to all of my loyal followers of Broken, will be putting my GW story on hiatus until I finish the first three chapters of Portrait of Takashi and conclude this story.

All- Read and review! Bai-bai-buu!


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